Glazer's Man U backers revealed

THE identities of three secretive US hedge funds, which have backed Malcolm Glazer's £800m takeover of Manchester United, have been revealed.

Citadel, Och-Ziff Capital Management and Perry Capital have put £275m into the bid, but their involvement will anger fans, already furious about Glazer's buyout of the sporting franchise.

Glazer has managed to take control of 74.8% stake in the club, and needs to gain 75% to take the company private.

Fans opposed to Malcolm Glazer's takeover of the club have threatened to cause 'sheer pandemonium' at next week's FA Cup final.

Many supporters have already protested outside Old Trafford following the American's bid to take control of the Red Devils. And now one leading fans' group has warned they will target Saturday's clash with Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium to vent their fury at Glazer's coup.

'We won't do anything that endangers safety but they may have to draft in the army to police the match,' said Oliver Houston, vice-chairman of Shareholders United.

'The suggestions range from sheer pandemonium, to hurling thousands of beach balls on the pitch, to a Gandhi-esque protest of people just walking onto the field and sitting down,' quotes The Sunday Times.

Meanwhile Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd has warned Malcolm Glazer he faces isolation from his Premier League adversaries if he tries to dismantle the current television deal.

A bid to divert the present deal is seen as an integral element of the £790m takeover of Manchester United by Glazer.

Shepherd, however, insists: 'The Premiership chairmen aren't going to line dance to Malcolm Glazer's tune over domestic television rights.'

The American would need the backing of 14 of the 20 Premiership clubs to back any proposal and scrap the collective TV deal allowing the Red Devils to negotiate an individual agreement with BSkyB or another broadcasting company - and Shepherd believes it would be impossible to garner this level of support.

He told the Sunday Mirror: 'Glazer has to remember this is not American football and that what he has done with television deals in the past in the USA may not be legally achievable here.

'He won't get anywhere trying to change the collective domestic television agreement or attempting to unilaterally do a separate deal for Manchester United on that front.

'The domestic TV deal is a collective agreement covering 20 clubs. The present agreement has two years to run and Glazer is stuck with it.

At present, the deals with BSkyB and the BBC divides 50% of revenue between each club, 25% is paid out in fees to clubs involved in matches with the remainder shared in merit payments for league position.

Shepherd, however, accepts Glazer may have a better case for overseas rights as he looks to tap into markets such as America and Asia with the Red Devils' popularity abroad.